Background: While asylum seekers frequently face periods of uncertainty, psychological distress can become increasingly intolerable at times of reinterviewing and rejection of refugee claims.Australia has a policy of mandatory detention for asylum seekers who arrive by boat as unauthorised irregular maritime arrivals.In recent times asylum seekers held in Australian immigration detention centers have self harmed by stitching or sewing their lips together.Contributing factors to this expression of self harm may include anger and frustration at a longer than expected time to process individual asylum claims, frustration following rejections and setbacks during lengthy and at times complex legal processes.The situations faced by asylum seekers are also faced by immigration officials and migration lawyers.Such individuals, by the nature of the work they do, encounter asylum seeker stories of deep personal sadness, despair, self-injury and suicidal ideation.Methods: Drawing on a review of contemporary literature, this presentation describes the impetus for developing a model of engagement with asylum seekers who are at risk of self harm, and to explore the protective role of secondary self harm prevention measures in this group of people.Conclusion: Arguably, asylum seekers face significant legal, emotional and social challenges as they claim protection under the United Nations Convention; challenges that are put even further to the test in a detention environment that has been widely criticised by a range of health and legal experts, where self harm and suicide does take place.Whilst risk factors are important indicators for assessment and treatment, an explicit focus on a model of intervention may help prevent lip stitching as well as assist health professionals gaining a deeper understanding of the key factors that contribute to this form of self harm.